Beehive in a cow field?

[PatS]

I'm looking into beekeeping. My yard is not really suitable (too much traffic in the open sunny areas), however there is a field across the street that has lots of room sunshine and might work. The owner leases the field to a man who grazes meat cows there.

My question, would bees bother cows or cows bother bees? For instance, would an itchy cow try to scratch its hide against a bee hive and damage it or scare the bees? Would the hive need to be protected from the cows by any kind of barrier? I want to find out before I approach either the owner or the cowboy.

Thanks for your insight!

-Pat

[yantabulla]

Pat,

The bees won't worry the cows however cows love rubbing on fixed objects.  They will knock your hives over & then the bees will worry the cows.

Put a barrier of your choice around the bees.

Yanta

[splitrock]

Having worked thousands of hives, mostly in pastures, I have yet to see where a cow so much as moved one. (not saying it Can't happen).

What I Have heard though, is a bull is more likely to be a problem.

Joel

[Larry Bees]

They knocked over 8 of my hives about a year ago. They love to rub against them, especially the little ones. Larry

[AllenF]

It doesn't take much to fence in a hive.

[edward]

A friend lost a few poly hives to his cows , I don't know if it sped up there transport to the slaughter house but away they went.  :chop:

Later he received a worried concern telephone call from the slaughter house , the cows stomach was full of round white balls,+  lave and other things they had never encountered bee fore.

it took a little while to convince and tell them what had happen.

It is expensive to feed your hives to cows , they will eat them up after they itch themselves and knock them over.  :-\

mvh edward  :-P

[larabee]

Our university's entomology club put 2-3 hives in cow pasture in the fall of 2010.  The cows scratched on them till they knocked them over and the bees fell out of cluster in the winter and died.  Had to get all new bees.

[AliciaH]

Does the field already have hot wire on the fences?  If so, maybe the field owner would let you tie into that source.

[greenbtree]

Electric fence a very good idea.  If no electric fence available to jump off of, they make solar powered electric fence chargers.  Don't know how much you want to spend, but cows will often knock things over, and they will eat the weirdest things.  The old standby of barbwire also works, but it must be pulled tight, or they eventually find a way through.

JC

[PatS]

Thanks Everyone!  You've given me the information I needed.